


Ferdie the Great

by Trubie74



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Competition, Cute Ending, F/M, Hint: It's Not the Doctor, Humor, Jealousy, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Alternating, Ten Can't Catch a Break, Tenth Doctor Era, The TARDIS Totally Plays Favorites, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-22
Updated: 2017-12-22
Packaged: 2019-02-12 10:37:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12957414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trubie74/pseuds/Trubie74
Summary: Rose commits companion treason when she tries to smuggle the Doctor's worst nightmare on board the TARDIS. The only way things could possibly get any worse would be if she'd gone ahead and named it Pear.





	1. In Which Rose Indulges in a Betrayal of the Highest Order

**Author's Note:**

> I'll be updating roughly once a week. Obviously this isn't canon compliant. Just pretend Doomsday never happened, Rose stuck around to travel with Ten & Martha, and at some point they got together. Enjoy!  
> Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.

Rose peered hesitantly into the gloom of the TARDIS, her fuzzy little bundle tucked up close to her chest. She winced as the door clicked shut behind her, the small noise unreasonably loud in the quiet hum of the console room.

She should have been back with their lunch thirty minutes ago, she knew. But she had been… sidetracked. A part of her was expecting to find the Doctor standing there, lurking animatedly inside the doors waiting for her. She was more than relieved to find this wasn’t the case. Maybe he’d gotten bored and wandered off to the library or something. Wherever he was, as long as it wasn’t in the immediate vicinity, everything would be fine.

She hadn’t meant to bring the little guy home, but the poor thing had looked so pitiful laying there, all tucked up against the side of the dumpster. And in the rain no less! Rose couldn’t have left him behind if she’d tried.

Now all she had to do was smuggle her new friend down a few corridors to her room and she’d be in the clear. Creeping around the faint glow of the time rotor and dripping water all over the place, she was halfway to the nearest doorway when the TARDIS chimed at her warningly.

Startled, she was turning back to ask what was wrong when she heard it; footsteps. A low whistle and an urgent flicker of the lights had her bolting for the door. If she could just make it to her room…

She was on the threshold, ready to fly down the corridor, but his voice caught her, gluing her to the spot.

“There you are Rose! I was just getting ready to go out and look for you myself.” The Doctor strode confidently into the room, duster thrown over his shoulder. Squinting into the dim lighting, he wandered over to the console and flipped on the lights. "Ah, that's better. Why didn't she turn the lights on for you? Old girl usually does that every time somebody walks in..."

The Doctor trailed off as he glanced over, finally looking at Rose properly. He took in her innocent expression, her too wide eyes. The way she had something hidden from him, clutched behind her back. He frowned briefly before his face smoothed out into something open and friendly.

"Everything alright?" he asked, casually fiddling with a switch.

His tone was light, but Rose knew that look.

Her brilliant plan to hide the little guy was over before it had even started. There was no way she was walking out of this room without the Doctor knowing. Licking her lips, she straightened her back and looked him in the eye as calmly as possible. There wasn't going to be any dignity to be had here. Only begging. Might as well start out strong.

_Deny, deny, deny._

"Yeah, everything's fine. Got stuck in the weather, you know how it is. Had to take a bit of a detour."

"Oh, yes well. I'd expect so. Bit rough out there, what with weather like this. Did you get our chips?" He _oh_ _so subtly_ took a step away from the console. A step toward her.

"Nah, I tried but the rain just ruined 'em. Soaked right through the bag, it did. No chips." Rose meandered slowly off to the side, leaving the relative safety of the doorway. It wasn't like she could leave. She'd have to turn her back, and than he'd see.

"Now that's just too bad. If I'd have known it was going to be this dreary, I'd have gone with you, maybe even brought along an umbrella. We could've eaten out." His tone remained light as he turned, following her with his eyes. Folding his arms, he leaned a hip against the railing and raised an eyebrow at her, feet crossed. "But what happened to your scarf? Could've sworn you'd had one on when you left."

"It, uh, got all wet. In the rain. Just like the chips, heh. I've got it right here." She shook her arm a little, gesturing behind her. "Didn't want it to drip all over the floor." _Laying it on a bit thick there Tyler,_ she thought. _He's not stupid. You're clothes are sopping wet._

"Alright, but what have you _really_ got there?"

"Nothin. Just my scarf." She might have batted her eyelashes a little here.

"...Rose."

Straightening up with a sigh, he crossed the room on sure feet, coming to a stop right in her personal space. She hurriedly tried back up and almost tripped on the jump seat. There was nowhere left to go without squishing her cargo. She was caught.

"Yes Doctor?" Her voice sweet as pie.  _Innocence. She was innocence personified._

"Tell me you don't have what I think you have back there."

"What do you think I have back there?" She was shamelessly stalling now.

"Well, my console room smells like a rather curious combination of wet human and wet feline... and it's getting worse by the minute. So I'm going to take a wild stab in the dark and say you have a cat with you." Sometimes she really hated the whole 'Superior Biology' thing. _Can he really smell all that?_

"Oh come off it!" She protested. "Why would I have a cat? I know you don't like them, I would never bring one on board." _Yes, that was good._ _That sounded strong. Stand your ground Rose!_

"So you don't have a cat with you?"

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she looked him dead in the eyes. "No Doctor, I do not have a cat with me."

He held her gaze rather seriously for a moment before his expression melted into a smile. "Fair enough, but than why do you smell li-"

The pitiful little sneeze that rang out from behind her couldn't have possibly been more damning if she'd planned the whole thing.

_Bugger._

"By Rassilon, you do! You do have a cat!" The Doctor threw his hands up and turned to pace the length of the grating, voice rising in pitch with every word. "And you even tried to lie about it. Really! To me." Rose's jaw worked for a moment as she tried to find the right words. This was a very delicate situation here. She had to tread carefully if she was going to win him over.

"Oh come off it! We both know your answer would have been a no from the start." Bringing her fuzzy little bundle around to hold in front of her, she gave him her biggest eyes as she nuzzled into the back of a little furry head. "Besides isn't he just precious?"

Swaddled in Rose's multicolored scarf, a tiny, deep orange head peeked out of the top of the bundle of fabric. His appearance was punctuated by large, triangular ears far too big for the little one's face. Poor thing couldn't have been any more than a month old. Tired green eyes squinted up into the light of the TARDIS, slowly taking it all in. When they came to rest on the Doctor, the kitten let loose a questioning mew.

The Doctor shrank back like it had personally offended him.

"Nope. No, no, no. Definitely not. It can't stay here." The Doctor pointed an accusing finger at her. "You _know_ how I feel about cats Rose!"

"But what about the kittens we met on the motorway? A couple months ago when we almost lost Martha. You liked them well enough!"

Yes, but those were Brannigan's _children_ Rose. Not your average, ordinary, run of the mill house cats. _His children._ I couldn't very well recoil from being introduced to somebody's kids!"

Sighing, Rose came to stand just before the Doctor, intimately on the edge of his space. Hoisting the little guy up, she ignored the Doctor's lip curl and forged on. "But just look at him. Really look. Doesn't he make the cutest little purrito you've ever seen?"

 "No he really do-" The Doctor blinked, momentarily drawn out of his tirade. "Per what?"

"Purrito." Rose said. "You know, cause he's a cat and he's all wrapped up like a burrito." She held the kitten the slightest bit higher, putting him right in the center of the Doctor's vision. Pulling out all the stops, she gave him her biggest eyes and wobbled her lip a little. _This is it. Now or never._

"Can we keep him? I didn't plan on bringing a kitten home, honest, but he was so sad." she said. "I don't think he was a stray, cause he was all alone. No mum. So somebody must have abandoned him there. _By a dumpster."_ Rose felt some real tears coming on at the thought.

"It was raining, and he was soaked... an- and I couldn't just leave him." She snuggled the little guy to her chest an poured every last ounce of pleading into her words. "Doctor please." _Come on... come on..._

The Doctor stared at her for a long moment, gaze shifting between her and the cat as his face went through a series of increasingly concerning expressions. Finally, with great reluctance, he agreed. "Fine. You can keep him. _But._ He’s your responsibility. I don’t want to find scratch marks all over my coral."

Rose couldn't contain the shout of joy she released as she jumped up to kiss him excitedly on the lips. Shooting him a tongue-touched smile, she took off down the hall before he could even think about changing his mind, talking animatedly to the kitten the whole while.

***   *   ***

Strolling into her room, Rose was delighted to find a plush cat bed filled to the brim with supplies already waiting for her. _Bless._

"Thanks girl." Patting the doorway affectionately, Rose came over and deposited her bundle onto the bed. The kitten squirmed for a moment before managing to wiggle his way out of the scarf. Stumbling up onto shaky legs, he began to teeter around, exploring his new surroundings.

 Rose observed all this with a sudden feeling of anxiety. She hadn't really thought past getting the kitten by the Doctor. "I...  I don't really know anything about cats..." She held a finger out and the little guy sniffed it hesitantly before giving it a nibble. "How am I supposed to take care of a kitten?" She mumbled.

A melodious chime drifted softly through the room, and Rose instantly felt comforted. "I'm glad at least you're on my side." she addressed the walls. "And I really appreciate the warning back there. I doubt that would have gone so easily if he'd caught me right out."

Rose began to riffle through the supplies, laying it all out on the bed to better see what the TARDIS had dug up for her. Kitten formula and a baby bottle, kitten chow, a pair of adorable green feeding dishes with pink fish swimming along the sides, various little toys with colorful bells and feathers, a litter box, and even a TARDIS blue collar. _Oh yeah, she was definitely set._

Smiling to herself, Rose leaned back against the headboard and simply watched the little ball of fluff totter across her covers. His fur was still the slightest bit damp from all the rain, but the scarf had taken the brunt of it. He'd be nice and dry again soon enough. Meandering his way over to the base of the bed, Rose grinned as he began to actively gnaw on the wooden frame. Tiny rumbles shook him as he really started to get into it.

Laughing, she crawled forward and scratched his back, making him rumble even more. "Funny little guy aren't you."

Turning, she sat cross-legged and set about filling the bottle with some formula. Scooping him up, Rose held it out to him. He fussed a little at first but settled down real quick when he realized she was trying to feed him. If she thought the rumbling was funny before, that was nothing compared to the noises he was making now. "Geez you're hungry." Giggles overtook her as he tried to inhale his bottle. "Better than the bed frame huh?"

The TARDIS hummed, catching her attention. "Sorry, what?"

An image of the medical bay formed in her mind and she nodded. "You're right, should make sure he's got his shots. Don't want you catching something do we?" She tickled his belly and he kicked at her like a kangaroo. "Do you think the Doctor would help with that?" she spoke to the air again.

A much lower hum this time.

"Nah you're right, best not bother him with it right now. He's probably grumpy enough."

The kitten, done feeding for now, snuggled down in Rose's lap and let loose one of the widest yawns she'd ever seen. Rose didn't think her smile could have gotten any bigger, yet here she was, beaming down at him. _I'll have to start taking some pictures for Mum, she's gonna love him..._

 _The real question though,_ she thought, smoothing his fur back, _is what to call you..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please review! Questions, comments, and constructive criticism are always welcome. Thanks for reading!  
> 


	2. In Which the Library is Grievously Misused

To say he was twitchy would be an understatement.

The Doctor was positively vibrating with tension as he stalked his way sharply around a turn and down the next corridor. He couldn't believe she'd do such a thing. His own ship! And it wasn't like it had been accidental, oh no. She knew how he felt about the library. _She knew._

And yet she had gone ahead and done it anyway.

It was his haven. A place where he could go shut his brain off (as much as a Time Lord ever really could) and just lose himself in stories for a while. Filled with warm fireplaces, exceptionally comfy chairs from all corners of time and space, and excessively fluffy rugs. There was even the odd bowl of jelly babies here scattered about. He'd spent hours holed up in there simply relaxing, curled up with a good book and, if he was lucky, a certain pink and yellow human. And she'd ruined it.

A gentle melody caressed apologetically against the outer walls of his mind. He ignored it and sped up his pace. He wasn't quite in the mood to forgive her just yet.

He wasn't even sure where he was going to be honest. All he knew was that he needed to move around and work off some pent up energy before he snapped at someone. Of course, he'd have much rather been running all over some alien planet, adventuring and getting into trouble. _Now that_ would certainly take the edge off.

But adventuring wasn't an option right now.

Naturally Rose- kind, wonderful, compassionate, _stubborn_ Rose, would insist on staying in the TARDIS with the stupid cat for a few days, now that it was big enough to be let out of her room. _"Just until he gets used to the place."_ she'd said. _Used to the place._ _Ha._

Little devil was certainly making itself at home, that was for sure. _And whose fault is that?_ He projected rudely. The TARDIS murmured her equivalent of a slightly embarrassed huff but otherwise disregarded his tone.

Coming to a stop outside a partially opened door, the Doctor's hand hovered over the knob as he briefly entertained the idea of using the Anti-Gravity Room to blow off some steam. After a moment he shoved that thought aside and carried on. _Perhaps another time._

Gods he could still hear that incessant scratching sound... and the banging! _Oh, the banging._

Like a stampede of Krafayis across the ceiling.

A small part of him (the part that was more preoccupied with the hows rather than the whys) had to admit that the design had been quite impressive. The plastic tubing itself had been pretty unobtrusive despite ranging the span of the whole library. Attaching it to the walls and ceilings had been a stroke of genius, keeping it up and out of the way. Although that didn't stop a few offshoots from going through a few shelves here and there.

The scratching post wall had been a good move. Made the tubes easily accessible and spared the furniture. Very practical. Nifty even. The little bubbled windows had been a nice touch as well.

Overall, he'd seen similar designs used for indoor playgrounds. And hamsters.

 But what the TARDIS clearly hadn't accounted for _was the noise._

  _The Doctor massaged his temples, resigned, book laying temporarily forgotten in his lap. Hearing the ruckus drawing near again, he sat stiffly back in his chair and opened his eyes to stare balefully up at the ceiling. Ah. Here it comes again._

_Like clockwork, a furry blur came shooting around the nearest bookcase, rattling it's tunnel loudly in it's haste. Launching itself toward the first opening it came across, it flew out of the tube and down the wall, pausing mid climb to rip it's claws frantically into the scratchy fabric._

_Having had enough of that, it barreled the rest of the way down and came flying to a stop directly in front of him, completely puffed up and on high alert. Than it began to knead it's claws furiously into the carpet, rumbling all the while. After several minutes of this it **finally** settled down, curling up in the shredded mess it'd made... and there it stayed._

_The damn cat had been at it for exactly three hours, twenty-seven minutes, and six seconds. No stops. No breaks. Just pure mayhem, plain and simple._

_The Doctor wanted to throw his book at it._

_He had come down to the library to avoid Rose and relax after another particularly frustrating failure to fix the chameleon circuit. He'd just **had** to tell her how easy to fix it'd be this time. How fantastic the TARDIS could be when at her full capabilities._

_"Today's going to be the day Rose Tyler, I can feel it!"  Ha._

_Gods forbid he keep his gob shut for five minutes instead of running off at the mouth about an accomplishment he hadn't even achieved yet._ _All he'd wanted to do was kick back for a little while and revisit the Chronicles of Narnia._ _He could fess up to Rose later when it didn't quite sting his ego so much._

_At least, that had been the plan._

_Of course, none of that had happened. No, instead the Doctor had spent the first hour utterly frustrated and unable to find a single seat in the whole bloody room that the cat didn't feel the need to molest with it's presence. He'd than spent the second hour trying in vain to get his 3D glasses back when the stupid thing had snatched them up right out of his hand._

_He_ _'d only had them out for a moment while he dug through his pockets for his brainy specs. Just a moment. But that was all the little beast had needed._

_The third hour had gone entirely toward praying to any deity that might be listening. Yes, it was probably wrong that he'd stopped praying for patience at some point and started praying for the tubes to break... but who needed to know that? It was entirely between him and the deity's blatantly ignoring him._

_And now... now it thought it could just curl up right in front of him for a well earned nap like everything was hunky-dory. A-OK. Molto Bene. He hadn't even gotten the damn glasses back._

_Snapping his book shut as loudly as possible, he'd stood up with every intention of deeply disturbing the little bugger's nap..._

_But Rose had swept in all, "Oh, aren't you just the sweetest snuggled up like that!", and gone straight for the cat. Not even a proper hello. Typical._

_"How long's Ferdie been napping Doctor? He's been bouncing around all morning, didn't think he'd ever stop." She asked. Blimey, she had no idea... wait, what?_

_"Ferdie? Really? That's what we're calling it?"_

_"Yup, Ferdie. Short for Ferdinand."  Bending down, she scooped the cat up and positively cooed at it, scratching under it's chin. "Do you like it?" She glanced up at him._

_"Uh, well. It's alright I suppose. Could have named it something a bit more useful. Like Alonso. Excellent name, Alonso."  The Doctor found himself scratching the back of his head, not quite sure what he was expected to say. "Why Ferdinand exactly?"_

_"She shot him a look. "You know, like the bull from the children's book." He really didn't. "Mum used to read it to me all the time when I was little."  Hoisting the little beast into the crook of one arm, she pointed at him accusingly with her free hand. "And stop calling Ferdie an it! He's a he, aren't you sweet boy?" And there it was. More cooing. The Doctor was really starting to hate it when she did that._

_"He's a terror, 's what he is. Speaking of which, just what exactly do you think you've done to my library? Look at it! It's in shambles."_

_"Don't be so dramatic, your library's fine. And I didn't do anything." She looked up and around, seemingly taking in the tubing and altered walls for the first time since she'd walked in. "Huh. Yeah, certainly wasn't my idea. The TARDIS must have done it all up in here for Ferdie. She likes him."  She turned fully in place, observing the extent of the chaos. "Wow. Old girl really outdid hersel- Oh hey!" Hurrying over to the nearest shelf, cat still in hand, Rose quickly bent over and scooped something up. "...Doctor, your glasses..."_

_He'd never heard Rose sound so apologetic. Turning back, she looked particularly sheepish as she held out the sad remains of his 3D glasses. They'd been chewed to bits. It was a wonder they were even still held together._

_One of the eyes was missing._

_And just like that, he suddenly remembered why he'd been so annoyed._

_"Alright, it's been cute but that's enough. This is all coming down. No more cats in the library. No siree."_

_"What? Doctor no, come on it's not as bad as it seems. You can make new glasses!" Rose set the cat down on his chair and crossed her arms, frowning firmly at him. She wasn't going to go down easily over this one, he could already tell._

_"It's not just about the glasses Rose! That thing has been raising hell in here all morning. It's a library for Rassilon's sake! Not a playground."_

_"Yeah well, you know what? You've been outvoted. The TARDIS likes it and I think it's adorable so the cat tube stays."_

_"It most certainly does not."_

_"Yeah, it really does."_

_The two stared hard at each other for several moments, neither willing to give any ground. The tension was broken however, by a sudden crunching sound. Startled, they both looked in confusion to find Ferdie perched on the arm of the chair, munching happily away at the remains of his glasses. It had broken out the other eye piece._

_"Oh for pity's sake!" The Doctor threw up his hands. "Fine. Keep the library. Run amuck, I don't care. Just keep it out of the rest of my things."_

_"He's a he, not an it!"_

_"Whatever!" he grumbled. There were better things to do with his time than deal with some stupid cat._

At least that's what he'd told himself when he'd stormed out. Yet here he was, still very much disgruntled by the morning's events and with no particular outlet for his aggravation in sight. What really did it though, was the fact that she hadn't even tried to see his side. She'd immediately chosen the cat. She'd been choosing the cat an awful lot lately. He had barely seen her since it'd come on board.

Sure, he understood the allure of a new pet but come on! Didn't they have a- a thing? A thing that meant she should be spending an equal if not greater amount of time with him? They'd barely held hands or kissed in days! Let alone done anything else.

It was like being back in his ninth incarnation all over again. When she'd brought that pretty boy on board. What was his name again...? Oh yes, _Adam._ Now that would have been a fitting name for the little interloper. The name of the inept. Much more suitable.

Maybe if he got her a metal dog, she'd be willing to trade out. Rose had liked K-9 well enough when they'd visited with Sarah...

No, but she'd never go for that. His Rose was a lover, a carer. He had seen it in her eyes hundreds of times before and he'd seen it in her eyes when she'd first shown the cat to him. She was attached. He was stuck with it now, for however long that may be.

There was no way he could convince her to get rid of it. _"Not it, he."_ Rose's voice echoed in his mind.

The Doctor sighed, slowing his pace. _Oh well._

He'd been taken by surprise this morning, that was all. He hadn't been properly mentally prepared. Now that he new what to expect, he'd be better equipped to handle stuff like spontaneously appearing jungle gyms and broken things. Rose would grow accustomed to  _Ferdie_ and come back to him in time. They'd carry on as always, the Doctor and Rose Tyler.

Just with an occasionally obtrusive third addition.

 _After all,_ he told himself, _it's just a cat._ He'd even used to like the damn things when he was his sixth self. Had a pin of one on his lapel and everything. So how bad could it be?

**Author's Note:**

> Please review! Questions, comments, and constructive criticism are always welcome. Thanks for reading!  
> Feel free to stop by my [Tumblr](http://trubie74.tumblr.com/) and say hello XD


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